Night sky map August 2017

North

STAR BRIGHTNESS
Zero or brighter Deneb
st
1 magnitude
CYGNUS
2nd NE CANES VENATICI

3rd Vega

NW
LYRA
4th
CORONA BOREALIS
HERCULES BOOTES

VULPECULA

Arcturus COMA BERENICES

SAGITTA

DELPHINUS SERPENS
Altair
Barnards star
EQUULEUS OPHIUCHUS
AQUILA First quarter
Moon on 29th Jupiter
SCUTUM VIRGO
SERPENS
Saturn LIBRA
Zubenelgenubi
P
Spica
P
Teapot Antares
East

SAGITTARIUS Centre of the Galaxy

West
CORVUS
M6
M7
CAPRICORNUS SCORPIUS
NGC 6231 CRATER
LUPUS
AQUARIUS CORONA AUSTRALIS

MICROSCOPIUM NORMA Centaurus A

ARA Omega Centauri
TELESCOPIUM
CENTAURUS
CIRCINUS
PISCIS AUSTRINUS Alpha Centauri
Hadar POINTERS
INDUS Jewel Box Mimosa
PAVO TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE SOUTHERN CROSS HYDRA
Coalsac CRUX
APUS
GRUS
MUSCA
ANTLIA

OCTANS
South Celestial Pole
47 Tucanae CHAMAELEON VELA
TUCANA
SMC

CHART KEY SCULPTOR

PHOENIX
MENSA CARINA
VOLANS
PYXIS
HYDRUS
SE

Bright star
Faint star Achernar LMC
SW MOON PHASE
Ecliptic Milky Way Full Moon 08th
Celestial Equator DORADO Last quarter 15th
RETICULUM

P Planet New Moon 22nd

PUPPIS
LMC or Large Magellanic Cloud HOROLOGIUM Canopus First quarter 29th
SMC or Small Magellanic Cloud South

THE CHART HIGHLIGHTS IN AUGUST 2017

The star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in On 8 August, there will be a partial lunar eclipse which
the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart will be visible across Australia. The eclipse will begin
and Adelaide for August 2017 at about 7:30 pm (local at 3:22AM AEST, when the Moon enters the Earths
standard time). For Darwin and similar northerly locations shadow and then leave the Earths shadow at 5:19AM
the chart will still apply, but some stars will be lost off the AEST, thus ending the eclipse. The planet Venus is
southern edge while extra stars will be visible to the north. visible in the early morning, low in the north-east, all
Stars down to a brightness or magnitude limit of 4.5 are month long. The best time to look at the moon with a
shown on the star chart. To use this star chart, rotate the small telescope or binoculars is a few days either side
chart so that the direction you are facing (north, south, east of its first quarter phase, which falls on the 29th of
or west) is shown at the bottom. The centre of the chart August. High in the sky are the constellations
represents the point directly above your head, called the Sagittarius (the Archer), Scorpius (the Scorpion) and
zenith point, and the outer circular edge represents the Crux (the Southern Cross). When viewing the night
horizon. sky from a dark location, it may be possible to see the
white glow of our own galaxy, the Milky Way.

Sydney Observatory is part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The Sydney Observatory night sky map was created by Dr M. Anderson using the TheSky
software. This months edition was prepared by Jane Kaczmarek. 2017 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.